Visakhapatnam, Apr 30 (UNI) Seven devotees were killed and several others injured when a wall collapsed on them when they were standing in a queue to buy tickets at the famous hill shrine Simhachalam, near here, in the wee hours on Wednesday.
Police said that a large number of devotees stood in the queue to buy the Rs 300 ticket to have the glimpse of deity Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at the famous hill shrine on the devotional occasion Gandhamavasya.
The deceased were identified as Patti Durga Swamy Naidu (32), Yedla Venkata Rao (48), Mummapatla Manikantha (28), Gujjari Mahalakshmi (65), Paila Venkata Ratnam (45) Pilla Umamaheshwara Rao (30) and Pilla Sailaja (26).
Four of the deceased belonged to one family and they were Pilla Umamaheshwar Rao, a software engineer, his wife Pilla Sailaja, his mother Pilla Paila Venkataratnam and his aunt G Mahalakshmi.
Official sources said that thousands of people started reaching the hill shrine after midnight and formed a long queue to buy special darshan tickets. Heavy rain accompanied by gales occurred at the temple resulting in a portion of a 20-foot-long wall caving on them. The injured were admitted to hospital where the condition of two of the injured is said to be critical.
Home Minister V Anitha, District Collector MN Harendhira Prasad, Commissioner of police Shankabratha Bagchi, MP M Sribharat visited the scene of the accident. An SDRF team extricated the victims from the rubble and shifted them to hospitals.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief and shock over the death of seven devotees. He announced Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to each of the families of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured. He held a teleconference with the officials concerned and instructed them to provide the best medical treatment to the injured. The Chief Minister set up a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock over the incident. He said on social media: “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon”.
Governor of Andhra Pradesh S. Abdul Nazeer has expressed anguish and profound grief on the loss of seven lives due to the collapse of a wall while they were waiting in the queue line to have darshan of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy on the occasion of Chandanotsavam in the early hours on Wednesday.
The Governor offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and directed the district administration to provide better medical care to the injured.
UNI DP PRS